STAY IN TOUCH

My prosecutorial career throughout Maine and New England has given me firsthand exposure to the threats facing our community — and an invaluable, independent perspective on how to face them.

The Opiate and Heroin Epidemic

On average, we lose one fellow Mainer every day to synthetic opioids and heroin abuse. These drugs do not care who we are, who we love, how we look, what religion we practice, or what our political views entail. They only seek to destroy every life they touch, and it is up to us to come together as a community to take action. As District Attorney, I will take concrete steps to stop the spread of this deadly drug epidemic and its consequences by tackling two specific areas.

1. Prevention and Education: I believe protecting the people of Cumberland County starts outside the courtroom, so I will continue to prioritize my involvement in education and community service.

The Center for Disease Control tells us approximately 80% of heroin users became addicted following the use of prescription drugs, so we need to educate people of all ages about the dangers of these seemingly innocuous prescription medications before people outside the system find themselves victims — or perpetrators — of related crimes.

Knowing the signs of prescription drug or heroin abuse or the tell-tale indicators of child abuse and sex trafficking can mean the difference between someone entering the system as a victim or perpetrator versus remaining productive members of our community.

We need to start a candid dialogue with the medical community to discuss their willingness to acknowledge and better understand the role they could play in preventing these prescription opiates from being released into our community.

2. Treatment and Rehabilitation: We need to reassess our ability to help those who cannot help themselves.

Maine has entirely too few drug treatment and mental health facilities — especially inpatient facilities — to adequately handle the scope of our current crisis. We must engage the private sector and garner their institutional and financial support to help create a system for rehabilitation.

I will push for legislation allowing voluntary and involuntary commitments for drug abuse treatment. Maine needs a law similar to the substance abuse statute I observed effectively helping people during my time in Massachusetts. Upon a showing that an addicted person demonstrates a likelihood of serious harm, that person can be voluntarily or involuntarily committed for treatment in an in-patient facility (Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 123, Section 35). Maine (1) needs locked inpatient treatment facilities and (2) a similar law that will allow us help those whose substance abuse disorder has taken hold of their own judgment.

Once someone has taken the first steps toward recovery, we need networks in place to ensure they have sober housing, jobs, and continued counseling services to assist them in maintaining their fight against addiction in the days, weeks, and years that follow.

What I Stand For

Holding Violent and Dangerous Offenders

As District Attorney I will fight to hold the most violent and dangerous offenders in jail by pushing for an expansion of a current mechanism known as Maine’s “Harnish Hearing.”

The “Harnish Hearing” allows defendants accused of murder to be held without bail, but I believe it needs to be expanded beyond its current limitations to include domestic violence offenders, repeat drunken drivers, and those who use guns to commit crimes.

Through my experience, I’ve come to realize the value of more expansive laws allowing defendants charged with certain violent or dangerous felony offenses to be held without bail based on their actual level of “dangerousness.” This allows prosecutors to take action in court to keep the most dangerous defendants in custody up to 90 days without bail if the court finds there is no way to otherwise ensure the safety of the community.

Too often in Maine, I have seen high-cash bails intended to keep violent offenders from walking back into the community failing to work. When this happens, it not only endangers the community, but it can also hinder the prosecution by causing victims to recant or refuse to assist out of fear. Holding dangerous individuals without bail ensures unabated communication with victims, the integrity of the criminal process, and the safety of the community.

Ending Sex Trafficking

The number of sex trafficking cases continues to grow within Cumberland County and throughout Maine. We need to attack this issue by punishing traffickers more harshly and creating a culture in which buying sex for money is unacceptable by every standard.

We need to push for traffickers of prostitution, aka “pimps,” to receive a mandatory minimum 4-year sentence upon a conviction for Aggravated Sex Trafficking so they know they cannot exploit the most vulnerable within our commnuity.

We need a mandatory minimum three-day sentence and $2,000 fine for any first-offense for Engaging a Prostitute conviction to ensure buying sex won’t just contain a social stigma — but is something that will affect a person’s freedom and finances. “Johns” need to know that if they buy sex in Maine, they’ll go to jail.

Prostitution not only negatively impacts our community as a whole, but it is detrimental to the mental and physical well-being of each individual caught in the grips of this life. We need to protect the community, but we also need to recognize nobody would voluntarily choose this lifestyle. We must work together to turn victims of sex trafficking into survivors.

Unfortunately, the problems we face in Cumberland County are not unique to our community — and we need to cooperate and learn from other prosecutorial districts to better assess and conquer them. I know exactly what is happening in our community, what problems law enforcement and prosecutors are currently facing, and I know how to use the countless connections I’ve made throughout my career to maximize safety, prevention, and proaction.

Prevention
&
Education

My prosecutorial career throughout Maine and New England has given me firsthand exposure to the threats facing our community — and an invaluable, independent perspective on how to face them.

The Opiate and Heroin Epidemic

On average, we lose one fellow Mainer every day to synthetic opioids and heroin abuse. These drugs do not care who we are, who we love, how we look, what religion we practice, or what our political views entail. They only seek to destroy every life they touch and it is up to us to come together as a community to take action. As District Attorney, I will take concrete steps to stop the spread of this deadly drug epidemic and its consequences by tackling two specific areas.

Prevention and Education:

I believe protecting the people of Cumberland County starts outside the courtroom, so I will continue to prioritize my involvement in education and community service.

The Center for Disease Control tells us approximately 80% of heroin users became addicted following the use of prescription drugs, so we need to educate people of all ages about the dangers of these seemingly-innocuous prescription medications before people outside the system find themselves victims — or perpetrators — of related crimes.

Knowing the signs of prescription drug or heroin abuse or the tell-tale indicators of child abuse and sex trafficking can mean the difference between someone entering the system as a victim or perpetrator versus remaining productive members of our community.

We need to start a candid dialogue with the medical community to discuss their willingness to acknowledge and better understand the role they could play in preventing these prescription opiates from being released into our community.

Treatment
&
Rehabilitation

Treatment and Rehabilitation:

We need to reassess our ability to help those who cannot help themselves.

Maine has entirely too few drug treatment and mental health facilities — especially in-patient facilities — to adequately handle the scope of our current crisis. We must engage the private sector and garner their institutional and financial support to help create a system for rehabilitation.

I will push for legislation allowing voluntary and involuntary commitments for drug abuse treatment. Maine needs a law similar to the substance abuse statute I observed effectively helping people during my time in Massachusetts. Upon a showing that an addicted person demonstrates a likelihood of serious harm, that person can be voluntarily or involuntarily committed for treatment in an in-patient facility (Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 123, Section 35). Maine (1) needs in-patient locked treatment facilities and (2) a similar law that will allow us help those whose substance abuse disorder has taken hold of their own judgments.

Once someone has taken the first steps toward recovery, we need networks in place to ensure they have sober housing, jobs, and continued counseling services to assist them in maintaining their fight against addiction in the days, weeks, and years that follow.

Violent
and Dangerous
Offenders

Violent and Dangerous Offenders

As District Attorney I will fight to hold the most violent and dangerous offenders in jail by pushing for an expansion of a current mechanism known as Maine’s “Harnish Hearing.”

The “Harnish Hearing” allows defendants accused of murder to be held without bail, but I believe it needs to be expanded beyond its current limitations to include domestic violence offenders, repeat drunken drivers, and those who use guns to commit crimes.

Through my experience, I’ve come to realize the value of more expansive laws allowing defendants charged with certain violent or dangerous felony offenses to be held without bail based on their actual level of “dangerousness.” This allows prosecutors to take action in court to keep the most dangerous defendants in custody up to 90 days without bail if the court finds there is no way to otherwise ensure the safety of the community.

Too often in Maine, I have seen high cash bails intended to keep violent offenders from walking back into the community failing to work. When this happens, it not only endangers the community, it can also hinder the prosecution by causing victims to recant or refuse to assist out of fear. Holding dangerous individuals without bail ensures unabated communication with victims, the integrity of the criminal process, and the safety of the community.

Sex
Trafficking

Sex Trafficking

The number of sex trafficking cases continues to grow within Cumberland County and throughout Maine. We need to attack this issue by punishing traffickers more harshly and creating a culture in which buying sex for money is unacceptable by every standard.

We need a mandatory minimum five-day sentence and $2,000 fine for any first offense Engaging a Prostitute conviction to ensure buying sex won’t just contain a social stigma — but is something that will affect a person’s freedom and finances. “Johns” need to know that if they buy sex in Maine, they’ll go to jail.

We need to push for traffickers of prostitution, aka “pimps,” to receive a mandatory minimum 4-year sentence upon a conviction for Aggravated Sex Trafficking so they know they cannot exploit the most vulnerable within our society.

Prostitution not only negatively impacts our community as a whole, but it is detrimental to the mental and physical well-being of each individual caught in the grips of this life. We need to protect the community, but we also need to recognize nobody would voluntarily choose this lifestyle. We must work together to turn victims of sex trafficking into survivors.

Unfortunately, the problems we face in Cumberland County are not unique to our community — and we need to cooperate and learn from other prosecutorial districts to better assess and conquer them. I know exactly what is happening in our community, what problems law enforcement and prosecutors are currently facing, and I know how to use the countless connections I’ve made throughout my career to maximize safety, prevention, and proaction.